Ex-Hurricane cop appears in court

ST. GEORGE  An ex-Hurricane police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman made his first appearance in court Thursday.

Nathan Amosa, 24, appeared in 5th District Court where he was formally charged with forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony, and two counts of second-degree felony forcible sex abuse. Court records indicate he appeared with a criminal defense attorney and another hearing was scheduled for April 11.

Police claim Amosa was on-duty when he responded to a call and coerced a woman into performing a sex act on him and then fondling her, according to a probable cause statement filed with the criminal charges. The woman told police she felt she had to comply because he was "in uniform and had a gun."

Amosa has resigned from the Hurricane Police Department and an internal affairs investigation is under way.